Fishnet
by Phoenix Skyborne
Summary: Oneshot. Aqualad and Speedy are left alone in the Tower and end up in a very odd situation.


Bumblebee had declared it a 'day off' for the members of Titans East. This only meant that they would not be actively investigating any cases for the twenty-four hour period. They were, of course, still on call for any emergency that might arise in the city.

Speedy and Aqualad were the only two currently remaining in the tower. The Agile Archer planned to spend the day with his ass firmly affixed to the cushions of the couch. He had a stack of magazines, he had the TV remote, he had plenty of snacks and soda. What more did he need?

From off to the side there was the sound of a splash. Speedy grit his teeth as Aqualad leapt straight up from the water like a dolphin, arching his back gracefully before disappearing back into the salty blue and sending droplets of water raining down on the reclining archer and the pages of the magazine he was reading.

_Why_ did Aqualad need ocean access from the common room?

"Will you knock it off!" Speedy finally shouted, turning to glare at the Atlantean.

Aqualad's head bobbed just above the water and he regarded Speedy with mischievous black eyes. He leaned backwards to float on his back.

"Why don't you join me?" he offered.

Speedy snorted and turned back to his magazine. Parts of the text on the page he was reading were distorted from the water drops that had struck it.

Aqualad glided over to the side of the pool and crossed his arms over side, resting his chin on them.

"What's the matter? Can't swim?" he asked teasingly.

Speedy's face flushed and he ducked closer to his magazine.

Aqualad's eyes widened. "You can't, can you?" he asked in disbelief. Not knowing how to swim was like… not knowing how to walk!

"I can too!" Speedy snapped back. Then in a lower voice, he added, "I'm just not very good at it is all."

He really wasn't. He could float, and he could sort of doggie paddle, but he was about as graceful as a hunk of rock. Especially compared to the Atlantean, and he wasn't about to make a fool of himself. He could feel the other teen's eyes on him and his blush deepened.

Aqualad stared at him thoughtfully. "I could teach you," he said finally.

Speedy only shook his head, wishing he would just drop the whole thing.

"You scared?" Aqualad taunted.

"_No_."

"Then what's the problem?"

Speedy didn't respond and Aqualad narrowed his eyes before silently slipping back beneath the waves.

The redhead yelped and leapt to his feet as a wave of water that had risen up from the pool suddenly struck him, drenching him from head to toe. He sputtered and swiped at his hair, whirling on Aqualad with an enraged expression.

"I'm going to kill you, fish boy!"

Aqualad grinned and darted backwards away from the edge.

"You'll have to catch me first," he laughed.

Speedy glanced around and snatched up his bow from beside the couch. In an instant, he had an arrow from the quiver and sent it zooming straight for the other teen.

Aqualad suddenly found himself struggling in the tightening confines of a fishnet, his arms pinned to his sides and legs bound together. Then he was being pulled through the water and up onto dry land, lying flat on his back and staring up into Speedy's smirking face.

Aqualad glared back at him, already sawing through the net with the serrated knife he always kept tucked in his belt. His hand darted through the hole he had made and grabbed Speedy by the ankle, rolling back toward the water.

Speedy's limbs flailed as they both tumbled into the cold water.

The gills behind his ears fluttering as he breathed, Aqualad allowed himself to sink toward the bottom, where he could more easily call one of his fish friends to help free him. He was halfway down before he realized that Speedy was sinking with him. The rope was still wrapped around one wrist and part of the net was tangled around an ankle. A stream of bubbles emerged from his mouth and the human teen's face was beginning to look a little blue as he tried to extricate himself from the fishnet.

Alarmed, Aqualad squirmed to try to cut through more of the netting as they continued to sink, freeing one arm up to elbow, and in his haste he actually _dropped the knife._ Muttering a curse in his own language, he telepathically sent out a message for help to any sea creature able, and turned his attention back to Speedy whose movements had slowed, and masked eyes had begun to drift shut.

Fine sand drifted up into the water around them as they both lightly struck to bottom. A school of curious, brightly-colored fish had answered his call, but there wasn't anything they could do.

Aqualad's mind raced and he squirmed upwards into the water as best he could in his current bound state, floating a few inches above Speedy who was half lying on his back. He rather awkwardly allowed himself to drift down onto Speedy, where he promptly pinched the boy's nostrils closed with his half-free arm and covered his mouth with his own.

The Atlantean slowly breathed out into Speedy's mouth, not entirely sure if this was going to work. He allowed his gills to filter more oxygen from the water and breathed out again. He was relieved – and slightly disgusted – when Speedy coughed and expelled seawater straight into his mouth. Aqualad inwardly grimaced, but didn't pull away, keeping their mouths together even when Speedy's eyes opened and he instinctively recoiled from what appeared to be Aqualad kissing him.

They both blushed and Aqualad found himself really wishing his telepathy worked on humans… He sent out another telepathic cry for help and told the annoying school of fish to go away. They seemed slightly offended, but did so.

Aqualad and Speedy stared at each other. Speedy batted Aqualad's hand from his nose to hold it himself. The redhead was breathing back into the other boy's mouth as he exhaled, but Aqualad's Atlantean physique could process the extra carbon dioxide.

Aqualad shifted his eyes to look away from Speedy's masked ones, and glanced around at what he could see of the immediate area. He couldn't see the knife anywhere. He sighed, causing Speedy to cough slightly.

They remained like that for God only knows how long. Until a large shadow fell over both of them and Speedy's eyes opened wide with a sound of panic.

Aqualad couldn't lift his head to see what Speedy had spotted, but it entered his line of vision soon enough, and he relaxed.

A twelve-foot female Great White shark was slowly circling them, her flat black eyes calmly regarding them as she took in their scent and her ampullae of Lorenzini detected the electrical impulses generated by their hearts and muscles.

Aqualad could feel Speedy trembling and he almost smiled. He instead, politely and carefully asked the shark for her assistance. The female considered his request for a moment and then finally agreed to help.

Speedy whimpered softly as the shark's peppered snout drifted closer, and when her mouth opened, exposing rows of razor sharp, serrated teeth, he was honestly more terrified then he had ever been in his life. He clenched his eyes tightly shut, thinking his heart might beat out of his chest.

Aqualad ignored Speedy's fear and instructed the shark to rub her teeth and skin against the netting. The combination of sharp teeth and sandpaper skin made short work of the fishnet and soon they were free. Aqualad thanked the shark and she slowly swam off. He grasped Speedy by the arms and shook him gently. Speedy opened his eyes and was relieved the find the monstrous fish gone.

Aqualad rolled his eyes slightly and brought them both back to the surface.

They gladly ended their near hour-long lip-lock. Speedy gratefully crawled back onto dry land and collapsed onto his back, panting and shivering slightly. Aqualad hopped up beside him, still dangling his legs in the water.

Speedy lifted his head slightly and glared at Aqualad.

"We are never, _ever_ telling _anyone_ about this," he said weakly.

The other teen nodded in agreement.

"Let's never speak of it again," Aqualad added.

"Yeah."

They were both silent for a while, until Aqualad got that mischievous look in his eyes again.

"So," he began casually. "You want those swimming lessons now?"

Aqualad was forced to leap back into the water to dodge Speedy's kick, laughing as he disappeared back beneath the waves.

_Pointless, but fun. :-)_

_Feedback is, as always, very much appreciated. _


End file.
